Bowing to the best within yourself means to STEP UP by living the standards that will elevate your rise. But how to do this consistently, especially on the days that you just don’t have the drive for it? Motivation is great, but it DOESN’T LAST. This is where a grade to continually level yourself up against is essential. We always measure what matters. To set the bar high for yourself, populate your life with mentors that demonstrate consistent excellence through actions. Mentors can be alive or dead, you may know them personally or not.
One person that holds himself up to the highest of standards is retired Navy SEAL and author Jocko Willink. In this video blog I’ll share his run through of a tool he uses to measure himself towards, the USMC Fitness report used for Navy SEALS to grade where they’re at in all areas of leadership and character. This document is the ultimate PSS to hold yourself to.
What is a PSS? It’s a pre (beforehand) set (decided upon) standard (level of excellence you hold yourself to). A pre set standard is a way of being we are going to rise up to, step up and live out through our actions. Having a PSS will fuel your actions. If it’s your standard to exercise first thing when you wake up in the morning, then to make this happen you may sleep in your exercise clothes to immediately leap out of bed and start moving. If it’s a standard to cut down sugar, then you may purge it from all your cupboards beforehand so it’s not there to tempt you. If it’s a standard to get better sleep, you might clear all the technology out of your bedroom to cultivate more peace and silence. These are standards you decide on beforehand, and then unfold through your environment and actions. We establish this BEFORE going in, so in the moment there’s no indecision about what to do next or willpower needed to stay the path, but only action to stick to the standards we’ve already committed to. A PSS is something we can always go back to to guide our thoughts, words, and actions. To really live them and stand behind them, they must be an extension of who you are. You can’t live anyone else’s if your heart’s not in it. Below are the pre set standards that make up the LTR method, but take what works for you, and also add your own!
